“Elsa is a sacred sphinge who never ceases to interrogate us while offering us new enigmas as answers. Art, theater and cinema… my wish is to reposition Elsa at the center of her maison and on the stage from which she once seduced the world.”

Lacroix knows well the heights and troughs of eccentricity and theatricality in fashion. His own label flourished in the decadent 1980s, but went through a turbulent period as tastes for minimalism prevailed, before it ultimately shuttered in 2009. Since then, the maestro has kept himself occupied with other realms of design, notably interiors and costuming for the ballet and opera.

As for yesterday’s rumors that Rochas designer Marco Zanini would be leaving his post to join Schiaparelli, a PR spokesperson called them “unfounded.” The label’s relaunch has been pushed back until this summer due to difficulties in tracking down the right kind of person for the job, but we’re holding out hope that they’ll find the perfect fit very soon. Until then, however, you can feast your eyes on some of Lacroix’s most opulent runway shows past in the videos below: